Raudalu
Raudalu is a subdistrict in the district of Nõmme, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It covers an area of and has a population of 720, of which 58 % are Estonian and 30 % are Russian. The population density is.
History
The oldest records regarding Raudalu, previously known as Raudaru, date to the 17th century. A pub named Raudarro is marked on the Holmberg map published in 1689, sometimes spelled Raudaro.An old trading road goes through the subdistrict, connecting to the mouth of the river Pärnu and, on a branching road, to the region of Sakala. Since 1949 the road is named after the town it leads to in modern era, Viljandi.
At one point, a village began to grow around the pub, although the exact time period is unknown. By the end of the 19th century, and continuing at the beginning of the 20th century a farm named Raudtalu appears on military maps, which has led to the hypothesis, that the present-day name of Raudalu is a combination of Raudtalu and Raudaru.
One part of Raudalu is the microdistrict of Raku, which got its name from a former fur farm in the area that had moved to Raudalu from Kose in the district of Pirita. During Soviet occupation, the fur farm was known as Raku Fur Farm Sovkhoz, with a branch in the vicinity of Keila.
The northern part of the village of Raudalu was merged with Tallinn in 1958, which led to the other streets in Raudalu getting names for the first time, several of which where linked to the fur farm, such as Hõberebase Street or Sinirebase Street.
Economy
Average monthly gross income per employee was 1,589 € in 2022, the second lowest in Nõmme, ahead of Männiku.One of Estonia's largest ice cream companies, Balbiino AS, is headquartered in Raudalu, which also hosts a small private ice cream museum aimed at preteen children.